LARAMIE, Wyo. (Aug. 30, 2017) – Cowgirl soccer returns home to the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex for a pair of non-conference matches this weekend. On Friday, Wyoming will square off with UTEP at 4:30 p.m. MT. Then the Cowgirls will face McNeese State on Sunday, with kick-off slated for 1 p.m.
The Cowgirls (1-2-0) look to bounce back after another tough overtime loss last weekend against Kentucky. Both losses this season have come in overtime games but Sunday's was the first double overtime game for the Cowgirls since Oct. 23 of last season in a 0-0 tie with San Diego State.
Wyoming recorded 11 shots against the Wildcats, the most this season, putting five on frame. Senior goalkeeper
Georgia Rowntree, along with senior defender
Claire Parker and junior defender
Taylor Burton, played all 102 minutes of the contest. Burton and Rowntree have played every minute thus far this season.
In last Friday's home opener, the Cowgirl offense buried Southern Utah with three goals to earn the victory. Redshirt Junior forward
Brittney Stark notched her second goal of the season, while Burton and senior forward
Alisha Bass also put their names in the scoring column. Bass scored an incredible header on a cross from senior defender
Tristan Tyrrell, while Burton earned her goal on an equally impressive free kick from nearly midfield.
The Cowgirls currently hold the second-longest non-conference home unbeaten streak in the country among D-I programs. Wyoming's last loss at home against a non-conference opponent came on Sept. 22, 2013, to Idaho State in double overtime. Minnesota is the only program with a longer record, dating back to the 2012 season.
"We're excited to play back in front of our fans where we get great support," head coach
Pete Cuadrado said. "It's tough playing on the road and it's a hard pill to swallow with the two losses. I think this is the hardest non-conference schedule we've had since I've been here so we know we have our hands full with every game. We're there fighting though, and we're getting better game by game. I think we've made some great strides and I'm looking forward to Friday."
The Miners are 0-4-0 on the year after shutout losses last weekend. UTEP fell to Mountain West foe New Mexico in its most recent contest, 1-0. The Miners have been outscored 6-2 by their opponents this season. Sophomore forward Danielle Carreon and senior midfielder Kennadie Chaudhary are the two goal scorers for the Miners in 2017.
UTEP is averaging more than 10 shots per game, but has allowed 17.3 shots per game from its opponents. The Miners will bring a physical style of play, with already 46 fouls this season. UTEP will be the first team Wyoming faces this season that does not already have a win on the year.
Wyoming is 0-4-0 all-time against the Miners, and looking for its first win in the series. Last season, the Cowgirls faced UTEP on the road, falling 2-0. The Miners were the only non-conference opponent to shut out the Cowgirls in 2016.
The McNeese State Cowgirls are 1-2-0 on the season after two road victories in their last two games. McNeese State shut out UL-Monroe in its first road test of the season, 1-0, before earning another shutout win last Friday against UL-Lafayette.
The Cowgirls don't shy away from the attack, already with 57 shots this season. By comparison, Wyoming has attempted just 24 shots in as many games. McNeese State will compete against MW opponent Air Force on Friday before Sunday's Cowgirl showdown.
Sunday will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Wyoming is 2-0-0 all-time against members of the Southland Conference, with the most recent result being last season's 2-0 win over Houston Baptist.
Live stats for each match will be available at the link above. The live broadcast for Sunday's game will also be available through the link above and at themw.com. Follow @wyo_soccer on Twitter for updates before and during each game.
